§6415 Definitions

Summary

Defines key words used in the coral reef chapter. Administrator — the head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Alaska Native Corporation — as defined in section 1602 of title 43. Appropriate congressional committees — the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee and the House Natural Resources Committee. Conservation — actions to preserve or sustain native corals and related species, including management, mapping, science and technical help, law enforcement, conflict resolution, outreach, and safe navigation. Coral — animals in the phylum Cnidaria, including stony, soft, black, blue, and fire corals. Coral products — any living or dead coral specimens, parts, derivatives, or items containing them. Coral reef — a calcium carbonate reef or shoal made partly by living coral, coral skeletons, crustose coralline algae, and similar sessile plants and animals. Coral reef ecosystem — corals and nearby reef plants and animals plus the biological and physical factors that affect their growth, reproduction, and diversity. Coral reef ecosystem services — benefits like coastal protection, habitat for valuable organisms, places for cultural practices and training, and aesthetic value. Covered Native entity — a Native entity with interests in a coral reef ecosystem. Covered reef manager — a covered State’s reef management unit, a covered State, or a coral reef stewardship partnership under section 6405. Covered State — Florida, Hawaii, and the territories American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the United States Virgin Islands. Federal reef manager — a federal agency unit with lead reef management or a stewardship partnership under section 6405(c); specified agencies are NOAA, the National Park Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Office of Insular Affairs. Institution of higher education — as defined in section 1001 of title 20. Interested stakeholder groups — businesses; commercial or recreational fishers; recreational users; government units with related jurisdiction; colleges and universities; and nongovernmental organizations. National Coral Reef Resilience Strategy — the strategy in effect under section 6403. Native entity — an Indian Tribe, an Alaska Native Corporation, the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs, or a Native Hawaiian organization (as defined in section 7517 of title 20). Nonprofit organization — a non‑college organization run mainly for scientific, educational, charitable, or similar public purposes, not for profit, and using net proceeds to support its work. Restoration — actions to enhance, rebuild, or create functioning coral reefs within their historic range to provide ecological, economic, cultural, or coastal resilience and benefit native reef organisms. Resilience — the ability of corals and reefs to resist and recover from disturbances and keep providing reef services, measured by clear science-based standards. Secretary — the Secretary of Commerce. State — any U.S. State or listed territory that contains a coral reef within its seaward boundaries, or any other U.S. territory or associated sovereign with reefs. Stewardship — includes conservation, restoration, and public outreach and education. Task Force — the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force established under section 6451.